


Absence

by CrookedCat



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:44:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7494288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrookedCat/pseuds/CrookedCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin come's back as Nightwing after being away for 6 months and discovers that things have changed at home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absence

**Author's Note:**

> Taking place before season 2. I haven't watched YJ in a long time so there might be some things that are wrong. I also tend to mix it up with the comic verse. I only write for myself and don't really care for technique that's why it's mostly dialogue.
> 
> English it not my first language.

“Formation!”  
It wasn’t really such a hard fight. Wally and Artemis had just stumbled upon Killer Croc and contacted Mount Justice for back up and Kaldur thought it would be a great exercise in team work since (with all the new additional members) they were pretty rusty. When the leader, Garfield, Barbara, Conner, Zatanna, Cassie and M’gann finally catched up, Croc had apparently jumped down in the sewers. The atlantean knew this was risky but he still had confidence in the team so they jumped after. Of course, this was an ambush and as if Croc hadn’t managed to fracture Kaldurs arm, he could probably have taken him down. After that the team just lost control and all kind of strategy and while Croc managed to keep his head cool he got to knock out at least 3 of them. They had finally gotten out of the muddy waters as Croc was trying to escape and the team lousy attempt didn’t really stop him.  
“I said: formation!” Kaldur almost face palmed as Barbara got knocked down again but he wasn’t so unprofessional he was going to do that in the middle of a fight.“Goddamit, Cassie, get your ass over here!” Suddenly Croc groaned as a spark of flames and a booming sound escaped his left ribs. It was only Wally and Kaldur who saw it. A slim batarang that had stuck to the opponent before it exploded. And it was not Barbara’s.  
“Wait… is that-?” Kaludur looked around but Wally was (of course) faster and spotted a dark slim figure on the top of a nearby roof.  
“Rob!” It didn’t even take the blink of an eye for Wally to climb the building and wrap his arms around the younger man.  
“Man, I’ve missed you!”  
“Take it easy, Wally” Dick said in between gasps. “I think you’re gonna fracture my ribcage”  
“That’s what you get from staying away for so long” said Wally as he squeezed his friend tighter.  
“Kid Flash! The fight isn’t over yet!” Kaldur cried out for his teammate.

But it was. Conner finally managed to get in a clear uppercut and Croc went sailing through to air until he finally landed in the dumpsters.  
“Well, forget about that” Kaldur shouted back as he squeezed his eyes to see if it really was who he suspected it was on the rooftop with Wally.  
”How did you ever managed without me?” Dick joked as he tried to keep his friend at an arm’s length.  
“More cocky than usual, but it doesn’t matter because you’re back!” Wally said as he tried to wiggle himself back into the hug.  
“Come on, it was my batarang that distracted him so Conner could get that clear shot, at least let me come back with a boom”  
“Wally?” Artemis voice was suddenly heard from below. “What are you doing?”  
“Coming, babe!” Wally yelled, still facing Dick. “We have to get you down there so they know you’re here!”  
“Yeah, you go first and I’ll-“ but Dick didn’t had to finished his sentence before the ginger lifted him up and ran down the wall with the younger man clinging to his chest.  
“Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?” Dick scolded Wally as he angrily jumped down from his grip.  
“Robin?” Artemis ogled at the younger man.  
“You’re back!” M’gann shouted as she flew forward into her old teammate’s arms and hugged him tightly. There was a humming of greetings and hugs as the team welcomed back their former member. Wally’s mouth suddenly stopped talking and he inspected his friend.  
“No… it can’t be! You’re taller than me!”  
“And you’re much bigger” Zatanna said with a wink.  
“It’s probably just the new costume”  
“Come on guys, I haven’t been gone that long!”

The whole team was gathered around Dick except for Barbara who was busy tying Croc up with a stern look on her face.  
“Man, this is so nice! Robin’s back in the team again!” Dick frowned and said with a more tough voice than intentional: “No, not Robin”  
“No?” Wally sounded uncertain and surprised.  
“It’s Nightwing now” The team went quiet as they tried out the name. Then the final verdict came from Kid Flash (of course).  
“I like it!”  
“Robin 2.0” Artemis said with a smirk.  
“More like the old man” Barbara’s voice suddenly cut through the air like knife. “So dark and mature” The team went quiet and most of them looked down on the ground.  
“I thought we had a mission, Aqualad?” the redheaded young woman said and locked her gaze on the leader.  
“Um… yes, of course I just got a little-” Barbara rolled her eyes and clicked on the headset.  
“Batgirl to Batman: Croc is captured and under control, awaiting transport to take him to Arkam”  
“Well done, Batgirl” Bruce’s raspy voice through the speakers felt like a hit to Dick’s stomach.  
“Where’s Aqualad?” Kaldur quickly turned on his headset.  
“I’m here, sir!”  
“Good. You, Conner , M’gann and Cassie wait where you are until I get there”  
“Roger that”  
“Do you need any help?” Barbara asked.  
“No, we’ll handle this” There was a click and the connection was broken once again. The team was starting to disrupt and doing their own thing and Wally laid his arm around his old friend.  
“Now that you’re back we’ll have to celebrate! We can get back to the cave and we’ll order pizzas and open up some beers and just hang!”  
“That sounds awesome, Wally…” Dick said as he looked in another direction. “But you can go on without me. There’re… some things I have to do first”  
“Business as usual” Wally smirked. Then the corner of his mouth sloped slightly and he said in a slow voice: “… You know he got a new Robin right?”  
“Yeah” Dick’s gaze was fixated on the ground. “I know”

“Hey…” Barbara didn’t look up when Dick addressed her as she continued to pick up weapon leftover from the fight.  
“You were away for quite a while for someone who didn’t even bother to leave a note” she said instead and inspected her utility belt. “That is probably like at least a 9 on a scale of douchebagness, ass”  
“I’m sorry” Barbara just frowned.  
“Someone special you wanted to see in Gotham, or why did you come back? No, actually, what the hell were you doing anyway?” She was now standing up and facing Dick but he couldn’t really look into her eyes.  
“I just had to… go away and… you know… find myself” They were both almost stunned when Dick stopped talking.  
“You do realize that’s the corniest stupidest excuse ever?” Barbara said with eyebrows that were squinting down again.  
“I don’t want to fight”  
“Should’ve thought about that earlier”  
“Come on, Babs, you’re being ridiculous”  
“Oh, I am? When was the last time I left you for months without telling you about it? Oh wait I remember: never!” Barbara had cleaned the place and was turning around as Dick grabbed her arm.  
“Just let me talk t-“ but the gaze that the girl gave him was as black as their shadows and it made him immediately release her.  
“What? What are you gonna say? That “ I’m a free bird baby! You can’t keep me in a cage or I’ll die”  
“B-“  
“I can’t be tied to just one girl, it will suffocate me-“  
“What the hell did you thought I was going away for!? Some European sex party!? Have you even talked to Brruu-Batman about this!?” The team had mostly dis abandoned the scene except for the few who were left who was mostly just looking up into the sky, practically whistling, being extremely busy.  
“You think he would tell me anything? I talked to you-know-who and he said you two had a big fight”  
“Yes!”  
“And after that you’re just gone for 6 months, without a single word to them. Or the team. Or me” In the last word her voice almost broke and that was the cue. The steam had blown off. The ex-lovers just stood quiet and looked at each other. Then Dick decided to declare himself defeated.  
“Ok, you’re right” he said with a sigh. “I’m stupid and selfish and sometimes don’t think before I act. I know I deserve this”  
“No” Barbara said and her voice had completely shifted to calm and sad. “No, you don’t” And she left him with those words, walking away alone in the mist, thinking hard why she ever became involved in this family.


End file.
